On January 30, Beihai Shipbuilding and CMA CGM signed a contract for a methanol dual-fuel retrofit project for a container vessel.
CMA CGM had also reportedly entered into a contract with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) in September 2023 for the construction of eight container ships. These vessels, boasting a capacity of 9,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), will be fueled by methanol.
This substantial order adds to CMA CGM’s previous commitments, including an agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) in April.
To remind, according to DNV, methanol proved the most popular alternative fuel choice in 2023 with 138 ships ordered (excluding methanol carriers), a steep increase compared to the 35 ordered to run on this fuel the year before.